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Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are only found around southern South America, with breeding populations in Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). One of Chile’s largest
and most important Magellanic penguin breeding sites is situated on Magdalena Island in the Straits of Magellan. The island has been designated a national nature reserve because of its importance as a
penguin breeding site, and the reserve is managed by the government agency Corporación Nacional Forestal. The island is a popular tourist destination, and Magellanic penguins are increasingly exposed
to human activities.
In order to protect this seabird and to ensure the sustainable use of the reserve as a tourist resource, Magdalena Island has been part of a long-term monitoring programme since 1998. This programme does
annual census, monitors annual changes in population, breeding success, chick and egg survival rates, and quantifies the effects on human visitation on the behaviour and breeding of penguins. In this paper, we present, analyse and discuss the results of the long-term monitoring 2000-2008.